Ratchet wrench



F. WATERS RATCHET WRENCH Filed July 31.. 1924 s Sheets-Sheet 1 Fksosrrrck WATg s F. WATERS RATCHET WRENCH Fild July 31. 1.924 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 4 IIVIIIIIIIIII 61m r now P um Dec. 1, 1925 1,563,883

F. WATERS RATCHET WRENCH Filed July 31. 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet 5' FREDERicK WATERS,

Patented Dec. 1, 1925.

} PATIENT. OFFICE.

. FREDERICK WATERS, or LYoNs'FALLs; NEW 203x.-

BATCHET WRENCH.

Application filed .Iuly 81 To all whom it may concern: 1

Be a known that I, Jamaal]; WATERS, residing at Lyons Falls, county of Lewis, State of New York, a citizen of the United States,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ratchet .VVrenches, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to wrenches, one of its objects being to provide a very simple and highly eflicient wrench that maybe etfec: tively used in very close or tight places where wrenches of the usual'type cannot be used: The scope of my invention extends to whatever construction maybe defined by or included within the terms or language of the appended claims.

In the drawings:- a Figure 1 is a view in perspective ofmy improved wrench; I

Fig. '2 is a side elevation illustrating the head portion; I 1 N Fig. 3 is a central longitudinal section thereof; v Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Fig.3;' Fi 5 is an elevation of a-portion of the hand e; I I

Figs. 6 and 7 are sectional views on the lines 6-6 and 77' of Fig.. 3;

Fig. 8 is a view in pers' ective partially broken away of a portion 0 the handle;

Fig. 9 is a view in perspective of the Fig. 10 is a plan view of another embodiment of my invention partly broken away; Fig. 11 is a centrallongitudinal section therethrough; and

Fig. .12. is a detail View of the pawl. My'in'vention in the form or embodiment 40 shown-in the-drawings, and briefly described,

comprises a head portion 10, which, for simplicity of'construction and assembly .1 constructedin two halve's which may be held together by means of screws 11, or in any 4 other suitable manner. From the body portion 10, is extended a cylindrical portion12, which is integral with the body portion for the purpose ,of supporting the tubular handle 131 I x The bevel gear 14, is provided with upper and lower shaft portions or -trunnions" 15,

and 16, which are journaled in suitable bearings provided by the head portion 10. Forthe purpose of adapting my' improved wrench for various sized bolts or nuts, I

the spring wire 27 to the ln i924. Serial No. 729,324.

provide the end of. the shaft 16, with poly,,'- onal faces so that various sized extensions 17, may be readily inserted thereon.

Adjacent'to the upper end of the bevel gear 14, is secured in any suitable-manner, a toothed disk or ratchet wheel 18, for a purpose to behereinafter described. A bevel pinion .19, is adapted to mesh with the bevel gear 14, andhas secured thereon an operating shaft 20, and is extended centrally through the handle 13'. The extreme end of the operating shaft 20, is provided with flattened faces so that an operating handle 21, may be readily placed thereon when it is desired, to quickly rotate the gear 14. The operating shaft 20, ,is jour-' naled in a. bearing 22, in the body portion 10, at the outer extremity of the handle 13, within a bushing or collar 23.

Pivotally mounted within ,the bodyportion 10,, by means of a suita e shaft or trunnion 24, is a double tooth pawl 25,

, which may be either entirely disengaged from h the ratchet wheel 18, or by causing one or the other of the teeth to engage with the ratchet wheel, it will be readily seen that said ratchet wheel will be caused to rotate in either one direction or the other. On the side of the pawl 25, opposite that of the trunnion 24, isan integrallyformed lug 26, for the purpose of receiving one end of the relatively thin s ring wire 27. This spring wire 27 exten s through the'tubular handle 13,. approximately midway between the handle and'the operating rod 20.

A comparativel thin sleeve 28, is. freely mounted to osci late within, the tubular handle 13, and is provided adjacent to the. inner end with t e outwardly extending apertured lug 9, through which ispassed Adjacentv to the outer end of the tubular extension 12, I provide anurled collar 30, which is mounted tofreely oscillate on the tubular handle 13. For the-purpose of oscillatin thesleeve .28, by means of the nurled co la r 30, I provide .a rivet or pin 31, which is securely fastened to both the sleeve'28, and the collar 30.,

An.apertured lug 32, somewhat similar 0 29, is secured on the inner side of the tu ular handle 13, for the purpose of receiving the outer extremit I of the, spring wire 27. A suitable rive-t 1s secured to the inner side of the handle 1.3,'im1ne bu ar handle 13, and inwardly extending depressions or enlarged cut-out portions 35, which communicate with the slot 34, for the purpose of receiving and locking the pin or rivet 31. The depressions or recesses 35 are so predeterminedl spaced so as to cause the pawl 25, to be set in any one of the three positions already described. This, of course,

accomplished by means of the flexible wire 25, being supported atone end by means of the stationary lug 32, and caused to bend by means of the movable lug 29,which is actu-. atecl by means of the nurled collar 30, through the medium of the pin 31, as is clearly shown in Fig. 4, of the accompanying drawings.

To prevent the pin 31, from being accidentally displaced from any one of the several depressions 35, I provide one end of the sleeve 28, with a flange 28, which not only serves as a strengthenin or reinforcing means .for the relatively t in tubular: sleeve 28, but it forms a led e against which the coil spring 33, efi'ectivedy bears. i

With special reference to Fi 3 and 4, it would be readily understood t at one end of the spring wire 27 being located in the fixed lug 32, and the op osite end being secured to the lug 26, of t e pawl that the deflection of the s ring wire 27, which is caused by the rotation of the tubular sleeve 28, will effectively oscillate the pawl 25, to either of the extreme positions.

As illustrated in Figs. 10 and 11, I often found it advantageous to tilt the handle 13,

at an angle of approximately 30 de rees,

this being very useful in particular 0 asses of work. In these figures, also, I have also illustrated a somewhat diflerent and novel construction of pawl 40, which is provided with upper and lower trunnions 41 and 42, and rearwardl extending projections 43, which is prov-i ed with a somewhat reduced end44.

Instead of permitting the spring wire 27, to directly connect with the pawl 40,-I'interpose a tightly wound coil spring-45, betweenthe inner end of the wire 27 and the reduced portion 44. 4 This arrangement perpawl and mits -o a very easily operat rivet mechanismi r It will be thus readily seenthen that a wrench constructed in either ofthe embodin'ients illustrated and described provides a tool that may be readily operated by means handle 13, would be stationary or it may erated by turning the entire wrench bodily in j of the handle 21, in which case the tubular be opeither one direction or'theother as for tightening or loosening varioussized bolts or nuts.

rovide a transverse slot 34, in thetudeparting from the spirit or scope of the accompanymg claims.

Iclaim:

1. A wrench comprising a hollow head portion, a tubular handle carried thereby a rotably mounted ratchet wheel, a pivotally mounted awl, a flexible wire carried by the pawl, a s eeve loosely mounted to oscillate within said tubular handle and having an apertured lug for the reception of said wire,

and means connected to said tubular sleeve for actuating said pawl.

2. A wrench comprising a. hollow head portion, a tubular handle carried thereby, a ratchet wheel, a pivotally mounted pawl, 21 flexible wire carried by the pawl and located within said tubular handle, and means for causing the deflection of said flexible wire for oscillating the pawl to predetermined positions.

'3. A wrench of the character described, comprising a. ratchet wheel, a tubular handle provided with a transverse slot therein, said tubular handle having a plurality of enlarged cutout portions equidistantly spaced about the eriphery thereof, a pin secured to said tubular sleeve and extending outwardly through a said transverse slots, a spring for normally retaining said pin in one of the respective cutout portions, a pivotally mounted pawl, and flexible means 1n-.

posed between said pawl and the tubular handle for actuating said pawl.

4. In combination with a wrench, a pawl and ratchet; and a tubular handle, a loosely mounted tubular sleeve having an apertured lug secured thereto and loosely mounted.

within the handle, flexible means interposed between said pawl and the tubular handle,

and operating means located on the outer of, a nurled collar mounted to oscillate on theoutersurface of'said tubular handle,- a tubular sleeve loosely mounted on the inner side of the tubular handle, a pin connected between said nurled collar and the tubular sleeve, a ratchetwheel, a pawl pivotally mounted adjacent to the ratchet wheel, and flexible means interposed between said pawl and the tubular pawl.

handle for actuating the In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature. FREDERICK WATERS. 

